Claire ’s
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(group member since Jan 06, 2025)
Claire ’s
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from the Hooked on Books group.
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Hi everyone, I’m Claire from Belgium. I look forward to play together,I added the January tasks in message 3.
RachelG. wrote: "@Claire- Message 84 in the HOMEBASE thread has January's tasks. I added it myself to my team's thread."Thank you! I missed it 🤦🏼♀️
Ashley, I was confused by some questions here. When I started to check these were questions about the January part. Not everyone has this part in his thread.
So my question is: do we need to add it ourselves and if so, where can we find it?
If you’ll add it later, no problem or pressure. Just wanted to be sure how it had to be done.
And thank you, this is an amazing challenge.
1. Do we need to add the second part of the challenge with ‘the recommendation list’ and ‘hunterer/gatherer’ to our thread ourselves or is that coming later?I got a bit confused by the questions here until I found it in another team’s thread?
2. If we get a task like black covet prehistoric, it is just the black cover I suppose. Or de we need to read a book about prehistoric times ?
🪨 Time Traveler’s Challenge — January 2026Era: Prehistoric Times
Welcome, adventurers. Dust off your cave tools, shake the mammoth hair off your reading chair, and let’s kick off this challenge properly.
We’re starting at the very beginning — before calendars, before written stories, before Goodreads existed to judge our choices.
January drops us straight into Prehistoric Times, where your priorities are simple: don’t die, find fire, and read good books.
Grab a chair and lock in — this first one will be a long one (just like the era itself).
🦣 Main Tasks
Here’s what you’ll be tackling this January — each task ties directly to the raw, dangerous, no-internet reality of early humanity.
1. Read a book with a BROWN cover.
Brown = earth tones, hide, dirt, stone… basically the entire prehistoric aesthetic.
2. Read a book with the word "Prehistoric" or "Times" (no variation) in the Title or Text.
A direct line to the era — we’re anchoring the month with something explicitly referencing it.
3. Read a book that features a large, awe-inspiring animal or creature central to the story.
Mammoths, saber-toothed cats, giant birds — the world back then was full of creatures that could kill you or feed you, sometimes both.
4. Read a book featuring a natural disaster.
Before modern tech or infrastructure, nature was the ultimate threat. Storms, quakes, floods, eruptions — take your pick.
5. Read a book where survival against nature drives the entire story.
This era was literally one long "man vs. nature" arc. No cushions, no conveniences, just grit.
6. Read a book that uses vivid imagery to bring a harsh, natural environment to life.
Prehistoric landscapes were extreme — burning sun, frozen plains, dense forests. This task dives straight into that atmosphere.
7. Read a book that involves caves, underground worlds, or hidden places.
Caves = shelter, mystery, art, danger. They’re one of the most iconic parts of prehistoric living and storytelling.
8. Read a book where fire is featured heavily.
Fire was the game-changing technology of the era: warmth, safety, cooking, community. If fire matters in the story, it fits here.
9. Read a book related to "animism" or reverence for natural elements.
Early spiritual belief systems were rooted in the sun, moon, animals, rivers — nature itself as sacred. This taps directly into that worldview.
10. Read a book where a character invents, discovers, or learns something that changes their way of life.
Prehistoric times were one long innovation runway: tools, hunting strategies, language, fire, art. A discovery that transforms life is right on theme.
📅 Monthly Theme Bonuses (MPG)
For January, the two MPG bonus genres are:
🏕️ Adventure
🧭 Survival
Read any January task in one of these genres for an extra bonus.
🏅 Personal Era Badges
To earn these bonuses, you'll need to personally accomplish one of the following "tasks". This means that whatever book you are trying to gain the bonus for, should not only fit a regular monthly task, but also be related to the badge.
🔥 Firestarter
A book that sparks a group discussion — controversial, emotional, divisive, or just plain chaotic.
🎨 Cave Painter
Create or share something visual inspired by your book: moodboard, sketch, collage, digital art, cave scratchings… whatever your medium, show it off.
🪶 Hunter-Gatherer
A book someone on your team has already finished. Yes, you’re “gathering” from others’ finds. Yes, that’s the point.
📜 Recommendation List Pick This will be an ongoing badge for the entire challenge, so here's a little info to start you off.
Every participant may submit up to 12 recommended books by the end of January. After that, the list locks for the rest of the challenge. You can read anyone else’s rec (not your own!) for a bonus.
How to submit your list: Post your list in your team thread and tag/link here. I’ll add it to the Index.
🏺 Team Artifacts (Permanent Collective Bonuses)
These require team-wide participation every time you attempt them:
📚 Team Read
Everyone reads the same book + joins the buddy-read discussion thread.
🔍 Thematic Treasure Hunt
As a team, compile a mini-catalog of shared themes/motifs found across your individual reads: fire, moons, wings, mirrors, rebirth, keys — whatever pops up. Include quotes or receipts.
How to submit your list: Post your "catalog" in your team thread and tag/link here.
🌍 Geographic & Temporal Collection Bonuses
New this year! Your team earns bonuses for:
• Unique Country Settings
• Unique Publication Years
These are team-level, not individual — coordinate, so you’re not all reading 2022 USA books and screaming later because you can only claim one bonus.
🌈 Diversity Author Bonus
Back from last year! Earn a bonus for reading a book by an author from an underrepresented group. This is author identity only (not content-based), and includes:
BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodivergent, marginalized religious groups, developing nations, Indigenous authors.
🌀 Temporal Anomaly Bonus (Jan 1–31 Only!)
Start the year easy:
Read a book with a BLACK cover.
Bonus Genres (unchanging all year):
• Speculative
• Epistolary
(Tag 5+ counts — doesn’t need to be MPG.)
🏅 Personal Temporal Anomalties Badges (unchanging all year):
Perspective Shift 🔄 – Highlight a moment in your book where the narrator or POV tricks you, surprises you, or changes your understanding.
Causal Loop 🔁 – A book you discovered because of another member's post or discussion in the challenge.
Time Dilatation ⌛ – Get completely lost in a book, reading for so long you lose track of time.
Recommendation List Pick 📜 – See above!
Trisha wrote: "(to add to the above)Team: Wind-up Woe
Toy/Chest Answer: 3
(I added to our check in)"
Thank you.
I checked us in.
Wind up WoeTeam thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Task toy: 11. Jumanji
Roll #1: 10
Roll #2: 6
Roll #3: 5
Wind up WoeTeam thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Task toy: 11. Jumanji
Roll #1: 10
Roll #2: 6
Roll #3: 5
21: Extreme Ironing 🧺 1. Read a book where the MC has a dangerous career/hobby.
Book: De laatste wens
Author:Andrzej Sapkowski
Read: 14 december
Pages: 352
How it fits: the MC is a witcher, a very dangerous job ( killing monsters to earn a living):
Ashley wrote: "It's a pretty even mix Claire! We still have a lot of time before the challenge starts, so I'm being very conscientious about the team building!"I understand that:-) I was just a bit worried.
Ashley, aren’t enough people going for competitive? Just wondering…
Claire and Jayme would like to be called ‘Midnight Pages’
I’ll suggest that name unless you have another proposal?
📚2026: I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie📚Duration: 1 January 2026 - 31 December 2026
Books Read:
Pages Read:
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3.
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5.
